The President’s Fund for the Humanities (PFH) was established to preserve a balance in the University’s programs of education and research by giving special attention to the humanities. Proposals might include: seminars in humanistic studies; public programs in the humanities; innovative teaching in the humanities; or requests for lectures or exhibits by visiting scholars. The fund might also support projects that involve interdisciplinary teaching, increase the visibility of the humanities, emphasize humanistic values or address specific social problems in a humanistic context. Projects selected for funding are restricted to a maximum PFH award of $3,000.

An Advisory Board composed of faculty representatives from each campus will consider the proposals and make recommendations to the President for funding. Proposal requirements, guidelines and additional information can be found on the President’s application guidelines listed below. Each proposal is rated on its merits and ranked in relation to all other proposals. The recommendations of the Advisory Board are conclusive.

Proposals must be received by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31, 2014

Application Guidelines

Activities Supported by the Fund

The fund supports both traditional and innovative projects in the humanities. Proposals that reach a large audience are especially encouraged. Among the kinds of proposals received are funding requests for:

Visiting scholars, artists, lecturers

Exhibits, performances, productions

Seminars in humanistic studies

Public programs in the humanities

Projects that involve interdisciplinary or intercampus cooperation

Projects that increase the visibility of the humanities

Projects that emphasize humanistic values in a broad social context

Projects that address specific social problems in a humanistic context

Innovative teaching in humanistic studies

Examples of projects that have been funded in the past include an exhibit of Southwest Hispanic artists; a traveling photography exhibit of Othello; a distinguished philosophers' lecture and workshop series; an interdisciplinary and interactive colloquium on the humanistic dimensions of pain management and palliative care; and an intermountain seminar in early modern philosophy.

Proposal Guidelines

The following guidelines have been adopted by the Advisory Board:

Projects are restricted to a maximum award of $3,000.

Commitment for funding is given only on an annual basis, and such commitment should not be construed as an automatic commitment for funding in a subsequent year.

Projects must be authored by full-time faculty members.

Projects submitted by faculty members whose final reports from previous awards are outstanding will not be considered by the Advisory Board.

Multi-campus projects are favored when other factors (such as quality of the proposal) are equal.

When projects are seeking other funding in addition to the President's Fund for the Humanities, the sources of such funds and the status of the requests should be clearly stated.

receptions, refreshments, or prizes (Please note that PFH funds may NOT be used to purchase food or drinks for receptions or other events.)

subventions for academic book manuscripts

PFH will make a maximum of one award per event.

Applicants should be aware that PFH is not inclined to fund events or programs year after year.

The proposal narrative shall not exceed three typed, double-spaced pages. (Additional significant information may be included in appendices.)

Each proposal must include:

Cover Sheet

Abstract — An abstract of the proposal should appear at the front of the application and should include the following information: the title of the project, a brief description of the project, the names of faculty or others involved, and the dollar amount requested.

Description — A description of the project must be included. The first paragraph should contain a clearly stated thesis.

Value — An argument for the value of the project must be included in the narrative. It should address how the project would reinforce, enrich, or supplement the Humanities on the campus/campuses, and how it will involve members of the University and surrounding communities, especially students. (The abstract, description, and value should be no longer than 3-4 pages, typed and double spaced.)

Resumes of participating faculty and/or invited guests (concise and limited to one page in length) must accompany the proposal.

Library Acquisitions — Proposals that oblige the library to acquire new books should be accompanied by a statement from the director of libraries affirming that the books will indeed be purchased.

Budget and Justification — A complete and detailed budget must be provided that includes not only the precise dollar amount requested from PFH and justification for each portion of the requested budget, but also all other budget-related information (expenses not covered by PFH and their justification, other sources of funding, etc.) — i.e., the total budget picture. Please separate the section of the budget for which PFH funding is requested from other sections.

Previous PFH Awards — The number of all PFH awards (both spring mini-grants and fall awards) received by the faculty member since fall semester 2008 must be included.

Outside Speakers — If outside speakers (i.e., visiting lecturers, scholars, etc.) are invited, documentation of each speaker's commitment to participate must be submitted with the proposal.